The Piano
by TheSailorette
Summary: When Hiei upsets Botan she goes to the only place she can truly express herself, a forgotten room in the corner of Spirit World with a grand piano. You'll have to read to find out what Hiei did and how he is going to fix it. This is a Hiei and Botan fanfiction.


Alright here is another Hiei and Botan one shot. I found it among others on my computer and decided to finish and post it. Its not perfect but I don't think it is too terrible.

* * *

Botan shifted under the warm blankets in her bed. She cracked open her eyes to realize the sun was only beginning to rise in the distance. She slowly sat up in her bed as the memories from last night came flooding back. She ran a hand through her hair. She wondered how long Hiei had stayed up the night before.

She thought back about the night and all that had happened. She smiled. He had won the Demon World Tournament. He was, as usual, not thrilled but it played to his benefit. Once back at Mukuro's castle there was a huge party in Hiei's honor.

Botan pinched the bridge of her nose, bowed her head, and stifled a laugh because she could not believe she had worn a tight black dress to the party. At the party everyone had dressed up. Hiei convinced her to wear the tight black one because he 'liked how it looked' on her. She giggled. He wasn't keen on telling her exactly what he thought but he did let her know to wear that one. He wore a Chinese Battle uniform that was very fitting for the occasion. It was all black but upon further investigation she noticed the material was a fine silk. The material had a pattern woven into it. The background was a matte black while the dragon pattern was glossy and only stood out when light hit it. The edges of the material was lined in a glossy silk to give a finished look to the uniform. The pants to the uniform was a simple black pant that he had paired with a pair of boots. It was a lot of black but it did fit who he was. Botan was impressed by how well he cleaned up.

Botan looked around the room. She was in the room adjacent to Hiei's in Mukuro's fortress. She wasn't sure how Hiei managed to acquire it. He just felt she should have her own space when she consistently refused to stay the night with him in his room. It wasn't because she didn't like him or didn't want to. It was simply because she wanted to ensure they both moved forward one hundred percent sure of what they were doing. Although she wouldn't lie, sleeping in Hiei's arms sounded fantastic.

She stood up and made way to the bathroom where she washed her face. She continued to think about the party as she washed off the remnants of the makeup she wore the night before. She was so tired that she hadn't done a very thorough job the night before, as there were traces of mascara under her eyes.

Hiei had gotten drunk at the party which wasn't a surprise to Botan. There were times where he would get carried away with the alcohol. And since this was a time of celebration she was not surprised in the slightest. She didn't fuss at him or get frustrated towards his actions. In fact it was quite funny. But even when extremely intoxicated he was careful not push her boundaries.

Over time he had become sweeter towards her even in public. He would pull her chair closer to his when they sat at a table and would find a way to hold her hand under the table. He even at times would wrap an arm around her.

After brushing her hair and teeth she went to her room and found a plastic cup that Hiei had tactfully acquired from the chow hall of the fortress for her. She preferred to keep a cup of water next to her bed at night. So when she had taken up sleeping in the room next to him at the castle when it made life easier he got her a cup. It was the sweet things like that, that allowed her to truly know how much he cared for her.

She had decided to take the cup of water to his room because she was certain he'd wake up with a hangover. And of course she'd look for any excuse to go in his room. It had become the norm for her to wake up and go crawl in his bed and there had been a few instances where he was found crawling into hers. It was an early morning custom that allowed the couple time together in privacy before their crazy days would start. It always surprised her when Hiei would pull her in close and wrap his arms around her. It was almost protective and it was sweet. Botan enjoyed those moments. Other times she'd lay her head on his chest and listen to his heartbeat as they'd talk about random things. In those intimate moments Hiei could be found tracing invisible circles on her arms or her shoulder blades. She enjoyed all these moments with him and all the innocence they held.

She took the dinky plastic cup into the bathroom and filled it with water. She made her way to the door that separated the two lovers rooms. She slowly and quietly cracked the door open. The light from her room spilled into his room. She squinted her eyes trying to adjust to the darkness of his room. But once the door was all the way open allowing all the light to spill into the room, she could clearly see him. But then her heart stopped.

The plastic cup fell from her hand and hit the floor sending water everywhere. The cup bounced with a ring. It all happened in slow motion. All she could see was blonde hair spilling over the side of his bed. She could see a bare shoulder of another woman. On the floor laid a red dress haphazardly along with Hiei's pants. The top of his chinese battle uniform was tossed over the back of a chair. Her hand flew up to cover her mouth as she gasped at the scene. She instantly turned around. Her blue locks spinning around loosely like a skirt of a dancer. A few tears flew from her eyes only to be added to the water that had settled onto the floor. She quickly stepped back into her room and closed and locked the door behind her. She allowed her body to fall against the door and she felt her body slide to the floor with a thud. At this point tears were flowing like waterfalls.

She could hear Hiei on the other side yelling something to the woman, clearly not happy. Botan had no idea what words were being exchanged but she could tell they were arguing. Her mind began to race. She thought their relationship was solid. They both had worked so hard at it. Sure there were rough patches in their relationship and at the moment as they were taking things slowly and with caution. But she never would have suspected this.

She quickly talked herself into getting up. She willed herself to get dressed, as she was determined to leave as soon as possible. As soon as clothes had hit her body and she was decent she left. She ran through the halls. She was glad the fortress was primarily desolate as most were asleep and recovering from the night before. Only a few guards were out on patrol and none paid her any mind.

As she ran her hair waved behind her freely as she had failed to put it up. Once she reached the portal she went to the one place she tended to go when she felt overwhelmed. The one place she felt free to express herself. She needed to get away. She needed to think. She needed to decide what to do. Tears had stopped running down her cheeks as she braved herself through the journey to spirit world and through the halls where ferry girls and ogres alike were busy with work. After what felt like a long journey she made it to her destination.

She opened the giant doors and went into the dusty old room and allowed the door to close behind her. The room was empty, as it always was. She slowly made her way to the bench and took a seat. As soon as her body hit the bench she lost all control. She sobbed uncontrollably.

* * *

Hiei had woken up to the sound of the plastic cup bouncing off the floor and water spilling everywhere. He sat straight up in the bed alarmed by the sudden sound. He caught a glimpse of blue hair as the door closed. His eyes widened in fear, what could have caused such an action from the woman.

Then he realized the problem as he felt something move in the bed next to him. He looked down to see the blonde. It was the same woman who had been causing him so many issues.

"Get out of my bed," he practically growled. "You know you are not welcome here."

"But you invited me over last night," she said sliding out of his bed to reveal herself.

He slid out of the other side of the bed to reveal he was at least wearing some form of clothing, even if it was just his boxers. He grabbed his normal pants and pulled them up his legs, getting dressed. He knew he had some explaining to do. He knew the longer he took the worse things were going to be. He turned back to the woman as he buckled his belt.

She had began to put on her clothes but not fast enough.

"Hurry up or you'll be out in the hall looking like that," he stated in disgust.

He walked over to the door that separated his room from Botan's. He tried to open it but it wasn't budging. It was locked.

"Botan, let me in," he heard nothing on the other side. After a moment's pause he continued. "Woman, I'll break down this door. Let me in."

After another several moments of silence he kicked down the door easily. Once in her room he realized she had left.

He groaned in annoyance and walked back into his room where the other woman still was. He threw on his shirt and strapped his sword to his side.

"Let yourself out," he said, words laced with malice as he grabbed his cloak and opened the door from his room to the hall.

"Oh, and don't cross my path and her's. There is a good chance you won't survive if you do," he stated back to his usual self. He then closed the door and headed towards the portal.

He traveled to Botan's room in hopes of fixing this misunderstanding. He tried to think of a way to fix what had happened. He was certain she was extremely angry and possibly heartbroken. When he reached her room he went in to find everything still in its proper place. He checked every crevice only to find it completely void of Botan.

He let out an annoyed grunt. Of course she wouldn't go home.

"Think Hiei. If you were the woman where would you go?" he asked himself as he walked to the door exit her room.

He quickly decided to make his way to the fox's apartment. He raced to get there in a timely manner. His cloak flowing behind him, his sword tapping his hip reminding him just who he was.

When he reached his comrades apartment he let himself in as usual. The sun's rays were seeping through the windows and he was certainhe would be awake. He stood in the living room listening and sure enough Kurama appeared from around the corner.

"And what do I owe this early visit for?" the fox asked curiously.

Hiei grunted. "Well I was going to ask if Botan was here but I do not sense her presence."

Hiei went to turn but the fox placed a hand on his shoulder. Hiei turned to snap at him but decided against it. He needed to contain himself. This was not the time to fight with the redhead.

"What is going on, Hiei?" He asked. "Why would Botan be here?"

Hiei said nothing but he knew the fox knew he had messed up somehow.

"Sit down and tell me what happened," Kurama said moving an arm out to suggest he sit there.

Hiei gave a low growl, "I do not have time for this, Fox."

Hiei headed towards the door.

"Based on how your reacting, talking it out could be a good thing. Give the girl a few moments to calm down especially if she's ran off and more than likely upset as well," he stated calmly.

Hiei grunted and reluctantly moved to take a seat where Kurama had suggested only a few moments earlier. Hiei took his sword off his hip and sat it where it stood resting against the arm of the chair. He then sat down on the edge of the sat, leaned forward with his elbows propped on his knees.

Kurama took a seat on his couch and looked at Hiei. He knew whatever happened had the fire demon worked up. He could see the anger radiating off of him. But he could also sense concern and a touch of worry.

"Start from the top," Kurama stated calmly knowing he needed to defuse the bomb so his friend wouldn't go blow up on Botan's the second he saw her.

"It's so dumb," Hiei spouted.

"It's clearly not dumb to Botan if she ran off without telling you where she was going," the redhead said ready to listen intently.

"There is a blonde at the castle," Hiei started.

Kurama would have been alarmed but Botan had filled him in on the blonde a few months into dating. Botan had started to truly have feeling for Hiei when she learned of the blonde because the blonde had approached her and told her about her relationship with Hiei in the past. Botan had came to Kurama ready to give up since the blonde put it in terms that they both still had feelings for one another. But after talking and learning all he could from the situation he managed to talk Botan into trusting Hiei through Hiei's own honor code.

Hiei continued about how this blonde had become such a problem for him and how he was ready to kill the woman.

Kurama nodded understanding that this was a woman who he was trying to rid himself of but she seemed determined to ruin anything related to Botan for Hiei.

Hiei continued explaining how he may have drank too much at the celebration but that he knew for fact that he had made it back to his room alone. That later in the night when he was already asleep that he felt someone crawl into bed with him. He had assumed that it was Botan since she had made a habit of it time to time. He admitted that he was sluggish and his senses were all out of whack due to how much he had drank. He never dreamed it could be anyone else.

But that morning when Botan actually came to crawl into bed with him she found the blonde in bed with him. She went back into her room but by the time he had gotten dressed she had fled.

"I'm going to kill her," Hiei stated about the blonde.

"I completely understand but you need to focus on Botan. How are you going to prove to her that it was all a mistake and that nothing had happened?" Kurama asked curious how the fire demon who never thought much through.

"Honestly I do not know, Fox," Hiei said pinching the bridge of his nose and closing his eyes. Women were going to be the death of him.

"Listen. I am going to tell you where I think she is but you have to promise me that you will handle this with care. That you will ultimately win her back," Kurama stated being serious.

Hiei looked up at his friend feeling some hope in all of this. He nodded understanding what his friend was saying. He didn't know how he was going to achieve this but he would find a way. He had to. The woman was a huge part of his life at this point. He was prepared to give her everything he had. He was prepared to die for her. He could not let a misunderstanding no matter how great come between them.

"There is a room in the corner of the Spirit World that had been all but forgotten about. Botan tends to go there when she needs a break from what's going on around her," he stated to express the fact he would be interfering with Botan's safe place. The place she could go to get away and express herself like she wanted and needed to.

"Hiei," Kurama said to make his friend pause for a second. "Just observe her. You might learn more about her than she will ever tell you aloud."

And with that Hiei grabbed his sword and was gone. He was a man on a mission to win back the woman he had grown to love.

* * *

Botan placed her slander and shaky fingers on the white keys. She then pressed her fingers down firmly earning a few notes come from the instrument. She then slid her fingers across the white keys and back to a position she was comfortable with.

Through tears she began to play a slow tune that expressed how she felt. She cried and played occasionally stopping to wipe away her tears.

Some of her notes were very smooth and melodic but others were harsh and very ominous. She played what she felt. It was beautiful and graceful. It was heartfelt. She had no idea how much time had escaped her but she didn't care. This is what she needed. She continued to play as her song reflected what her heart was feeling.

Unknown to her Hiei was standing behind her. He had arrived shortly after she had began to play as he wasted no time in finding her other than talking to the fox. Upon hearing her play the piano, that he didn't know she knew how to play, he had realized what Kurama had meant. The way she played the piano reflected her feelings clearer than she would ever be able to express through words. He was understanding them better than he would if she said them aloud. He could feel her emotions resonating in his bones. He felt extremely small for causing such terrible emotions for her.

He eventually propped himself up against the wall listening to her wave of emotions. He understood that she was saddened and angered by what had happened. He realized she was angry with him. That if he dared say it aloud that she felt betrayed. She was miserable. She was hurt. But in his defense this was a misunderstanding. What she thought was going on was not actually happening.

He listened for another ten or so minutes before he finally walked around the edge of the room until she spotted him from the corner of her eye.

The piano made a super harsh and loud sound as she jumped out of her skin. Hiei refused to react to the sudden noise that came from the piano. In all the years she had known about this room she had never had any visitors.

Their eyes connected. She whispered his name as the notes died on the piano. The room was silent. Only the faint footsteps could be heard as he slowly approached her as if not to scare her away or to prove he wasn't there to fight.

His eyes stayed on hers as he reached her. She moved over to give him room to sit. He sat slightly turned so he was facing her primarily. Once comfortable, he broke his eye contact with her as he looked at the piano before them.

"I didn't know you played," he stated plainly.

"I didn't know you knew about this place," she stated half mocking him half curious how he found her.

"A little fox told me where to look," he said with a small smirk.

"I knew I couldn't trust him," she said giving a half hearted laugh looking down at the keys. Her fingers gently moved across them like a feather.

Hiei grunted knowing exactly how she felt. He had done this to him a few times. The fox had a habit of dishing out information to one another about the other. He justified it by claiming to 'help' them. Honestly, Hiei was thankful for his willingness to help at the moment.

"I explained what happened," he said meeting her eyes once again expressing that he had told the fox his side of the story.

She didn't reply. Her eyes made their way back to the piano keys. She played a few deep notes not bothering to play a song or tune. She was just playing random notes.

"He told me where you were because I need to explain this to you," he continued over her notes.

"You don't have to," she said cutting him off keeping her head low to keep her eyes focused on the piano before her.

She began to play the notes in a melodic fashion. They were a little deeper now that she no longer sat in the center of the piano. They carried a different sound than they did earlier when she hadn't known he was there. He couldn't identify the emotion she seemed to be playing or if she was just playing to keep her hands busy.

"I have to," he stated watching her fingers move across the piano with ease.

She made playing the piano seem effortless but he was sure she worked hard to learn this skill. Much like he sacrificed time and energy with his training. When she didn't say anything he continued.

"I want to explain this to you," he said looking at her now.

Her tune died out as she stopped. She looked over at him as her hands made their way to her lap.

"I don't want to know. This is all a bad dream," she said as a tear ran down her cheek and her eyes fell to focus on her hands in her lap.

He watched her observantly. She was in a pair of old sweats that she seemed to favor and a t-shirt. Her hair was still down but frazzled. It fell around her shoulders and spilled down her back effortlessly. Her eyes were puffy from the tears she had already cried. He watched her pick at her nails from a clear nervousness and uneasiness.

"Botan, listen to me," he said and reached over and placed his hand on top of hers to stop her fidgeting.

It got her attention. Her eyes shot up to meet his. She was surprised.

"You misunderstood what happened. That woman has been trying to sabotage everything I have with you because she is envious of you. She wants what you have," he told her honestly.

He moved his hands back to his sides. One arm rested in his lap while the other grasped the piano bench like it was his lifeline.

"I don't have anything," she said looking down at her lap again.

Hiei took the arm that was resting in his lap and gently placed a finger under her chin to get her took look back at him.

"She wants what we have," he told her in a very quiet voice, removing his rough fingers from her chin, "this relationship."

"That does not explain why she was in your bed, Hiei," she sighed and leaned back creating distance between them, exhausted over this whole thing.

"Words are not going to fix this," he sighed watching her gaze study him closely. Her upset state turned to a confused one.

"May I," he asked pointing casually at his bandana, his jagan, before both hands reach behind his head to remove the dirty white bandana.

Her eyes widened. She wasn't sure what was about to happen but she was sure that Hiei did not just allow anyone in his mind. He must be desperate. This must be important. All this because she was having a hard time trusting him. All because of a stupid woman. She watched him bring the bandana down to his lap. She looked up at him. She reached out and placed her hands over his.

He looked up at her surprised at her touch.

"Hiei," the bluenette whispered searching his eyes for anything, red on pink.

Then she saw it. She saw how he was feeling under that emotionless mask and tough skin act he put forth. She saw the raw him and when he realized it and looked away.

If just for a brief moment. She realized he was afraid of losing her. He was completely in this relationship with her. This wasn't something she had just made up in her own mind that he didn't play a part in. They were in this together. She pulled her hands back into her lap thinking.

"Just tell me. I'll believe you," she said giving him a reassuring smile.

He looked at her uneasy. Saying it out loud was going to be harder. He wasn't sure he could do it. She watched his uneasiness which wasn't characteristic of him.

She took a shaky breath, "start from the top. I promise to listen and try not to get upset."

"Alright," he stated with an exhale, as he placed his bandana carefully back over his jagan.

He started by explaining when they met, back before Hiei had been noticed on Spirit World's radar. That the two had a short but wild relationship. That when the two split they went their separate ways. However they had ran into each other a few years after Hiei had been working for Mukuro. She had somehow gotten a job in the fortress. At the time he didn't care one way or another. He didn't associate with her and that was that. But once he started seeing Botan and Botan started coming around more often, the blonde became jealous. She began to do things to get his attention. She tried to seduce him a few times. She failed miserably. She had taken to threatening to blackmailing him. She had taken to telling Botan things and making her believe there was more to the two of them than Hiei was telling her about. All her attempts failed miserably.

Last night when Hiei turned in for the night he recalled stumbling back to his room where he stripped to nothing but his undergarments, turned off the lights, and went to sleep. He wasn't sure when but eventually he felt someone crawl into bed with him. He has assumed it was Botan and didn't think much of it. It wasn't until he heard the cup hit the floor that he woke and realized what had happened. What appeared to have happened.

Hiei promised to talk to Mukuro and come up with a solution to this very real problem. That he would find a way to rid them both of the blonde. Then he apologized for causing Botan so much distress and heartache.

He took glances at her throughout his spill of information. She did tear up a few times especially in the beginning. She of course like any woman did not like hearing about the man she had fallen for having any relations with another woman. But she nodded understanding. She knew what was in the past was staying in the past.

Her hand moved up to wipe the tears from her face as he started explaining what happened that night. She let out a breath she didn't realize she had been holding.

She was beyond relieved to find that this whole issue was something so minor. He promised to do something about her.

Botan looked up at him with a small smile but it quickly fell.

"I'm sorry I overreacted," she whispered looking down again causing her hair to fall around her face.

"Don't be," he said calmly.

She looked up at him again and she turned a light shade of pink under his gaze.

He took the hand in his lap and placed it forward cupping her cheek. He leaned forward and gave her a small but meaningful kiss. She leaned into him in response. She felt his rough cloth covered hand move to pull her closer to him as he physically moved towards her. Her hands found their way to his chest.

It wasn't too long of a kiss but it was one that expressed their feelings towards one another. And with that they knew exactly where they stood with one another. She blushed as her hands found their way back to her lap.

After a few moments of dead silence Hiei pointed at the piano. For the first time since he arrived she blushed in embarrassment. This wasn't a talent anyone knew she had. And it was just something that was just for her.

"When did you learn to play," he calmly asked watching her eye the keys again.

She looked back over at him still slightly embarrassed. "I'm not sure. I found this room one day when I needed a break from the rest of spirit world. It was when I first started ferrying souls. It was around the time I was ordered to help Yusuke."

She looked off to the side as she recalled the memories. "But I honestly don't know how I learned to play. I just started pressing keys and it came to me."

She shrugged her shoulders. Hiei listened intently.

"I can only assume that maybe this was a talent I had from my life before becoming a ferry girl. The life I cannot seem to remember," she said with a small sigh.

He gave her a small smile, "maybe so."

She stretched out her hands and began to play a soft tune. Before she could get into the song her stomach growled. She giggled while her hands shot to her stomach, as she turned red from embarrassment.

Hiei stood up, sword readjusting at his side. "I think it is time we got something to eat."

Botan nodded standing up and moving around the bench to his side, then he began to walk forward. She looked around the room one more time before following him out of the room and down the hall.

Once in the main part of spirit world where the hussle and bussle was the pair began to draw attention. It was still a shock to Spirit World to see a fairy girl with a demon. However, all the starring was getting on Hiei's nerves. He was about to pick her up and take off running at top speed but he felt her hand slip in his, her fingers laced in his. He looked over at her to see her giving him a small smile. He pulled his fingers up to hold her hand like she was holding his. The world around them seemed to disappear as they made their exit. They completely missed Koenma's mouth drop in reaction to their display of affection. It was truly a sight to see. Both glad to have one another and for the truth and trust they had.

* * *

I hope you guys enjoyed this random one shot. Feel free to drop a review and let me know what you did or didn't like. I love you all.

TheSailorette


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